Deadly Manor (1990)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Jose Ramon Larraz was a Spanish director of horror pictures who was well known in the 1970s for his atmospheric, uniquely-shot movies like SYMPTOMS, DEVIATION, and VAMPYRES. However once his glory days were behind him he kept working through the 1980s, usually churning out cheap exploitation movies, and 1990's DEADLY MANOR is such a film. As with a number of Larraz's other productions, this one was made abroad, in New York in this instance.The plot is entirely undistinguished and completely clichéd. Your stereotypical group of teenagers end up in an old deserted manor house which they soon discover is occupied by someone or something decidedly deadly. What follows involves your usual slasher antics as the group turn up dead in gruesome ways, one at a time. In the end the survivors have to band together to try to unmask the villain in their midst.DEADLY MANOR is generic stuff indeed and the poor production values don't help it very much. The acting is pretty much the pits and the cinematography is very dark, inducing eye strain in the viewer. Larraz fails to bring much in the way of atmosphere to the picture and indeed he seems to have left his expertise at the door. There's a little gore and nudity on display here and I imagine most horror fans will find this film tests the patience more than anything else.

This came out when slasher genre has already been dead. Even in around mid 80s you couldn't be taken seriously if you made a slasher movie.So how does this little Spanish movie holds up? While it's one of your "group of teens go into abandoned house then get killed off one by one", it does not strictly follows it's American slasher counterparts. The European, more specifically Spanish school is presented there, so movie itself plays out more like a mystery then slasher movie. There's old car husk setup as shrine, coffins in the basement and pictures\photos of some girl all over the house. For about first hour of the movie, you are really not given anything, it's just characters walking around the "old doom mansion". It's the stuff we learned to endure during 80s movies, but at least they had some shock or jump scares (or few kills in between), but "Deadly Manor" simply does not have any of those. It's just characters (literally!) walking around the manor to pad out running time. While some might argue that movie is trying to setup atmosphere (which in fact does more or less), scenes are too dark to see anything. In some scenes, movie goes pitch-black dark which is quite a problem, which is a shame, since location isn't too terrible. Once movie finally get's it's "game", when the killing starts, they aren't too impressive: with some minor cuts it could easily play on late night TV. In fact, movies plays almost like TV movie. Another problem is that if you somehow "survive" first hour of the movie, you probably want be too interested in last 20 minutes and you'll just want it to be over. Acting is quite campy (it looks like it was post-production dub even tho movie was filmed in English to save few bucks). When the killer is finally revealed, it's one of those moments when over the top acting hits in. One or two sex scenes, otherwise, no other nudity.It's not too bad, final 20 minutes of the movie kinda made it more enjoyable, location is quite good and there's some atmosphere thanks to that, but it's really a movie about people walking around dark manor for first hour of the movie (and half of the time you'll have no idea who's where and what's going on on screen due to bad lightning). Characters are not annoying, which is kinda refreshing.

My personal motivation to watch "Deadly Manor" sooner or later (although now I wish it had been much, much later) solely was because the guy in the director's chair was the Spanish-born José Ramón Larraz. Larraz made some really brilliant and atmospheric Gothic horror flicks back in the 70's (like "Vampyras" and "Symptoms") and even the partly American- produced horror junk he forged during the 80's (like "Edge of the Axe" and "Rest in Pieces") rank very high on my list of guilty pleasures. "Deadly Manor" was Larraz' last horror accomplishment, but perhaps he should have retired just one film earlier. It's an extremely mundane and painfully boring cinematic ordeal. Apart from an already dead body during the opening credits, absolutely nothing happens throughout more than an hour of running time! Moreover, the screenplay never at one point indicates where it might be heading towards. The film naturally takes place in a large ominous manor, but there's nothing even remotely suggesting that either the place is haunted or that there's a maniacal killing prowling around the estate, or anything. All we know is that there's a wrecked old-timer car in the garden and that the suspicious hitch-hiker is on the lam for the police. The six teenagers spending the night at the mansion (because it was too late at night and they couldn't find their camping site) are literally waiting to get massacred in patience. I only watched this movie yesterday and already I can't recall any of the death sequences, so that can only mean they weren't memorable and definitely not gory. One thing I do vividly remember is that "Deadly Manor" does not contain any gratuitous sleaze or sickly undertones. Only boredom, boredom, boredom… The end-twist, as in: the clarification of the manor's history; is reasonably original and effective, but it comes far too late. The last ten minutes form a worthwhile swan song to Larraz' career, but we best not mention the first eighty ever again.

Director Joseph Larraz's first venture into the slasher genre - Edge of the axe - was a fairly decent attempt with an interesting premise, plenty of gore and a likable if not immensely talented cast. I had high expectations for his second effort and hoped that the six-year gap between the two films had given him time to improve on his promising hack and slash debut. Deadly Manor was released during the 'silent years' of the slasher genre; a fair time after the boom of the eighties had died down and three years before Wes Craven revived things with his semi-parody, Scream. Six youngsters head out on a camping trip deep into the wilderness where one of them knows of a beautiful lake. On the drive through the long winding roads, the group loose their way and pick up a mysterious hitchhiker that says he knows how to get to the area that they're seeking. As the warm summer day gives way to a stormy night sky, the gang decides that they better find some shelter for the night. As they search the woodland for a place to settle, they come across an eerie derelict mansion shrouded by the darkness of the surrounding trees. Curiosities arise when they discover a car-wreck statue in the front garden that looks like some kind of bizarre shrine. On closer exploration of the premises they discover coffins in the basement and an array of photos of a beautiful woman. Although they feel uneasy, the weather has become unbearable outside and they realise that the only option is to stay for the night. Before long a masked psycho begins to brutally murder the kids one by one. But what is the reason for these ruthless unprovoked murders?Wow, what a difference six years can make, is this really the same guy? Any credibility Larraz garnered from the positive aspects of his previous stalk and slash attempt has been completely shattered by this inane and ultimately yawn-inducing mess of a movie. He's replaced an unknown cast - that at least showed potential - with actors so wooden, they make my neighbour's picket fence look plastic. An interesting premise has been ditched in favour of a synopsis so asinine that you'll cringe every time one of the dumb bimbos wanders off to their doom. Finally he seems to have strangely lost any sense of creativity or flair that looked so promising in his earlier work. Now I know that the ability to act convincingly is a skill that isn't easy to come by. Of all the dramatic performances we see year after year, probably a mere 40% are worthy of further recognition. However, these guys are so flat it's like they had lost a fight with a steamroller just before they turned up for the shoot. What the hell was wrong with them? Were they reading from a well-hidden autocue? I wonder what the cast themselves made of their performances when they watched them back? I'd love to find out. Did they think that the next stop was Hollywood's walk of fame? Did they believe that the next movie would be the one that gets their first nomination? OK, so I'm being a little cruel. But look at it this way; I'm an awful shopper, so I stay well clear of supermarkets. These guys should have avoided any film making equipment in a similar fashion. I must mention the set locations that were satisfactorily spooky for the most part and did at least create a credibly creepy backdrop. But even this positive sheen was ruined by the awfully inadequate lighting. The murders are mainly bloodless and poorly staged and if you're watching this snooze marathon late at night, you'll probably fall asleep during the long and boring character development that precedes the first lacklustre slaughter. Yes, if you suffer from insomnia then here's a good alternative to sleep aids that will almost guarantee a cosy night's rest! Now I realise that it's customary for a slasher victim to be as dumb as possible. It would be no fun if a young Einstein outsmarted the masked maniac at every turn, would it? Unfortunately these guys take the biscuit when it comes to stupidity. In fact they run off with the whole pack. It begins to get a little tedious after a while as they continue stating the obvious and overacting like Ashton Kutcher on speed. There's really not too much left to say about Deadly Manor. I could go on about the obvious plot holes that you could park a jumbo jet in, but I'll save you the boredom of reading about them. The one thing that the movie has got going for it is a deep-rooted moral to its story. If ever you're out in the woods and you discover an 'abandoned' house that has coffins in the basement, strange occult signatures garnishing the walls and human's scalps lying around freely on the mantelpiece, then it's a good idea NOT to just ignore these signs and think that they're just 'inspired' décor. Instead you should realise someone with a severe mental impediment must be nearby and it's a good idea to get in your car and head for somewhere else... on the double! This is utter trash I'm afraid and I thoroughly recommend you avoid it....